ABUJA, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Nigeria will bar passengers who
fail to follow the country's COVID-19 protocol from flying for
six months, an official said on Monday.
Passengers returning to Nigeria are currently required to
test for COVID-19 both before they board return flights and
seven days after they arrive. They also must pay for the tests
in advance.
Dr Sani Aliyu, coordinator of Nigeria's COVID-19 task force,
said 60% of those who pre-paid for tests had failed to show up
for them.
"These passengers will not be allowed to travel for a period
of six months," Aliyu said. "We hope that we do not need to do
this and people will comply with our protocol."
Task force chair Boss Mustapha said passengers had spent
more than 220 million naira ($580,000) on tests that they did
not take. Tests at accredited private labs cost roughly 50,000
naira ($130).
As of Monday, Nigeria had 66,383 confirmed cases of the
virus and 1,167 deaths.